Mine layout applicable to natural resources development

ABSTRACT

A mine layout applicable to natural resources development of a broad region, particularly applicable to the recovery of ore from oil shale and tar sands comprising a grid network of cellular units, such grid of cellular units being defined by pillars of the ore material and spaced below the ground level and of depths which vary from the upper surface of the ore to the lowermost depth of the ore body, adjacent cellular units of the grid lying at stepped depths and interconnected by a series of tunnels, certain of the cellular units being in various stages of active mining, certain other of the cellular units being filled to various degrees with overburden material and terrain being reestablished above such certain other cellular units by waste material produced by recovery of oil from the ore.

United States Patent [191 Livingston 1 Oct. 2, 1973 1 MllNE LAYOUT APPLICABLE TO NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT [76] Inventor: Clifton W. Livingston, 624

Panorama Dr., Grand Junction, Colo. 81501 22 Filed: Aug. 18,1971

211 Appl.No.: 172,710

Related U.S. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 14,166, Feb. 25, 1970.

[52] U.S. Cl. 299/19, 61/35 [51] Int. Cl. E210 41/10 [58] Field of Search 61/35; 299/2, 18, 299/19 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,588,175 6/1971 Whiting 299/19 3,460,867 8/1969 Cameron et al. 299/2 3,301,599 1/1967 l-leimaster 299/18 OTHER PUBLICATIONS L. C. Lang, Mining ltabirite on the Bong Range in Libe- HIGH TERRACE TERRACE POND INTERMEDIATE TERRACE INTERMEDIATE ria, Reprint, Canadian Mining Journal, Nov. 1965. L. C. Lang, Pit Slope Control by Controlled Blasting, Reprint, Canadian Mining Journal, Dec. 1965.

Primary ExaminerErnest R. Purser Attorney-Sherman & Shalloway [57] ABSTRACT A mine layout applicable to natural resources development of a broad region, particularly applicable to the recovery of ore from oil shale and tar sands comprising a grid network of cellular units, such grid of cellular units being defined by pillars of the ore material and spaced below the ground level and of depths which vary from the upper surface of the ore to the lowermost depth of the ore body, adjacent cellular units of the grid lying at stepped depths and interconnected by a series of tunnels, certain of the cellular units being in various stages of active mining, certain other of the cellular units being filled to various degrees with overburden material and terrain being re-established above such certain other cellular units by waste material produced by recovery of oil from the ore.

11 Claims, 36 Drawing Figures HIGHWALL ACTIVE MINING CELLS TERRACE PATENTEUUU ems 1 3782.771

saw 01 or 21 DISTURBANCE SHOCK FRONT PATENTED 21975 SNEEI 02 0F 21 M MD . G 238% EN:

PATENTEDQBT 21913 I 3.762.771

sum 03 or 1 I TRUE CRATER FIG] APPARENT CRATER CRATER PATEMEG CDT 2 75 SHEET 05 9F 21 C-3 CHURCHILL TILL 10 LBS. C-4, ICE

1! LBS. C4, 1

SHOW SUR FA ATLAS 6C KEWEENAW SILT 10 LBS. A 60 TR ENCH SNOW DEPTH RATIO A 8.8.0. Bond Strength Destruction V/W R. V/w Region CR. Coarse Region AU. B Auiogenous Blasting (2.8. Conventional Blasting .SiEU 08 [1F 21 SCALED CHARGE DEPTH 31,,

PATENTEBUCT 2191s 1111- 1111111 1% m /II I I I I i I I lri ll 11 N R II DK N l NC m N 3 0A 6 o CR G E E C EC G R 0 SI m N D.& K A T N .N Tm R F SR G 1 D R r R R N P U F1 51/ m u M B MM m P v 0% ||11I||| |l|||i .llll lR ll I I'll wlilll r/rirli EA- CL A R 1111 L IV S r 1 1 1 I1 S1III 1 |11111 11,11 %M. K c l R 0 mA c R 6b AR P w NA RC il|1l| O m o T B F V B F. 11111111111111-N 1111 -111111El11 A F. R C A M B M15 R11 E A S V C R R B Y u C 0 II II 1.11III1111A. 1|1||.1||i111iI11NA 1 I lll -N 1, l 0 :11 /..1N T 8. AA l 8 U T A A N 1 L E B M G B.G/| 43211 A .E A I R AR F 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I O Secondary Region Primary Region Shear Region Particle Size AB REG. Airbiasi Region S.R.

SHR

LEGEND:

PATENIEDUBI 2,1915

sum as or 21 Lateral extent of bond strength destructlon (gas bubble radius) DEPTH PATENTEUU'JT 2191s SIEU 12 HF 21 PATENTEDUBT 21915 sum 1301 21 7 

1. A mine layout for recovering ore from oil shale or tar sands comprising a grid network of cellular units, said grid of cellular units being defined by pillars of the ore material and spaced below the ground level and of depths which vary from the upper surface of said ore to the lowermost depth of the ore body, adjacent cellular units of said grid lying at stepped depths and interconnected by a series of tunnels, certain of said cellular units being in various stages of active mining, certain other of said cellular units being filled to various degrees with overburden material and terrain being re-established above said certain other cellular units by waste material produced by recovery of oil from the ore.
 2. The layout of claim 1, wherein a processing plant pillar is established within the mining layout, said plant pillar having an ore processing plant located thereon.
 3. The layout of claim 2, wherein rampS are formed in at least one face of the mining cellular units to permit access to the ore body whereby heavy vehicles equipment can be drived into the cellular units and the ore carried from the depth of the cellular units to the processing plant.
 4. A mine layout applicable to natural resources development of a broad region comprising: a. a network of mining cellular units separated from each other by pillars containing passageways and water control means; b. a system of tunnels beneath and within the cellular units and pillar network for hydro-power development and for conditioning and re-use of water entering said network of cellular units; and c. a system of dams, dikes, ramps, terrace ponds and pillar ponds constructed above the top of said network of cellular units for selective disposal of waste materials and reclamation of the land as mining advances.
 5. The layout of claim 4, wherein a processing plant pillar is established within the mining layout, said plant pillar having an ore processing plant located thereon, including: i. means of elevating the mined ore to the processing plant; ii. means of disposing of overburden in the mined-out cellular units; iii. means of collecting, storing and recycling of surface and underground water in the voids of the broken overburden filled cellular units; iv. means of elevating process plant tailings to pillar ponds and terrace ponds constructed above the ore body and within limits of the cellular unit and pillar structure, including means of selectively depositing a slime fraction at the reclaimed surface for agricultural re-use of the land; v. means for downward percolation of water from the terrace ponds into the cellular unit and pillar network; and vi. means of collecting surface and underground water within the cellular unit and pillar structure, including drainage collection cellular units, seepage control cellular units, void storage cellular units and open cellular unit storage reservoirs.
 6. The layout of claim 4, further including slot excavation by stability control blasting within a peripheral zone adjacent to the pillars within a cellular unit so as to shape said pillars, form ramps for access as cellular unit mining advances, and minimize blasting damage attributable to product control blasting for granulometry control within the central product control zone of each cellular unit.
 7. The layout of claim 4, further including means to utilize said terrace ponds and pillar ponds for solar evaporation.
 8. The layout of claim 4, further including means for storing substances deleterious to plant growth in said terrace ponds or pillar ponds.
 9. The layout of claim 4, further including means to control surface run-off and provide a process plant water supply utilizing spillway tunnels, water control spillway structures, open cellular unit storage reservoirs, void storage cellular units, drainage control cellular units, seepage control cellular units, filter beds, drainage holes, drainage tunnels, and water conditioning tunnels.
 10. The layout of claim 4, further including a lower pool connected through power plants, penstocks, and control structures to an upper pool defined by a grid of open cellular units, void storage cellular units, seepage control cellular units, and drainage collection cellular units.
 11. The layout of claim 4, further including selective pillar recovery by cut-and-fill mining so as to retain face, plant, and boundary pillars and to permit hydropower development, water quality control, and stream pollution abutment after mining is complete. 